A little about our life, our business and our pets. www.greytinspirations.com

Doggy finds

I got a nice catalog from a place called In The Company of Dogs this week. They are a little expensive but they have some very cool things. They have all kinds of beautiful gates designed to help you keep dogs out of certain areas in your home. Gates are great. Usually catalogs and pet stores have a limited selection and they aren’t very pretty but In The Company of Dogs has a beautiful selection. Some of them even look like art deco panels — the kind of things people used to use for changing clothes.

They also have some lovely crates that don’t look like crates — wicker crates, a round crate, a crate that’s built into an end table. If you don’t like to crate your dog but you still need to do so from time to time when you’re in the room, too, you should look at these options.

You could spend a fortune on all of the great t-shirts, sweatshirts and wall hangings they offer. I usually see specialized dog things available for specific breeds but In The Company of Dogs has a lot of stuff for mixed breed owners, too. Check it out.

They don’t have many of the more basic dog items, like everyday grooming tools and shampoos, or collars and leashes, but if you’re looking for something special for you and your dog, like artwork, it’s a good place to look.

DannyQuest sculpture.

One of my favorite places for dog art is DannyQuest Designs. DannyQuest has been in business for years and they specialize in realistic purebred dog sculptures in bronze. Many of their pieces are very affordable. They have a wonderful artist who captures the personality of the breeds. The dogs are shown in sculptures as pets and as they might be seen doing their original work. I have a couple of their English Setter sculptures as well as a set of windchimes. My keychain also has an English Setter head. I love their work.

If you do like to collect dog items, especially if you are looking for things for a certain breed, you can find lots of great things on eBay. If you do a search for breed items you can usually find anywhere from a couple of hundred items to several thousand things, depending on the popularity of the breed. Whether you’re looking for cute t-shirts or searching for original artwork, eBay can be a great source for you. You can often find things for good prices but be careful that you don’t get caught up in bidding wars. Many things that are posted are not one-of-a-kind items and can be found elsewhere. If you think something is overpriced or if it’s not selling, chances are that it will be re-posted and offered for sale again. If you lose out to another bidder an item may be offered for sale again. If it’s something that you have to have, you can try contacting the winning bidder to see if they will sell, or contact the original seller to see if they have something similar they are willing to sell.

I’ve been collecting English Setter items for years. The problem with collecting little statues and other breakable things if you own dogs is that they break! I’m afraid to put my things out because it just takes one swipe from a dog’s tail to send them hurtling to the floor. I used to keep some things on my fireplace mantle but even there the dogs could reach them. So, I have all of these lovely Royal Doulton statues and other things and I don’t display them. I guess I need a curio cabinet or something. That would be better than keeping my pretty dog things packed away in boxes.